


Snowed In

by BeccaAnne814



Series: Christmas/New Year’s Stories [8]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-12-01 01:34:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11475825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaAnne814/pseuds/BeccaAnne814
Summary: Between a huge fight with Tony and a freak Nor'easter, your Christmas plans are ruined, but are they really?





	Snowed In

As you stood in the long line of people in the crowded airport, you thought back to November 1st when you'd had such high hopes for this Christmas season.  You'd been so excited for all of the Christmas movies and shopping and decorating and snow!  You knew you'd be going back home for the actual holiday, but the thought of snow covering the city and making the lights glow just a little bit brighter had made your heart so happy.  Then everything had fallen apart, all because of Tony Stark.

You replayed the horrendous fight you'd had with him a few hours ago, over and over in your mind.  He'd been wrong to keep secrets from you and you'd had every right to call him out on it.  The team had refused to take sides, all the while trying to get you and Tony to make peace before Christmas.

The line was steadily moving forward and you could just make out the window behind the check-in desk.  The snow had picked up since you'd entered the airport and now you couldn't even see the plane at the end of the jet bridge.  All of a sudden, a collective groan echoed throughout the crowded space as every single flight on the electronic boards went from "Delayed" to "Canceled."  Dejected, you let out a huff and hung your head, tears threatening to fall from your eyes as you realized you might not make it home for Christmas this year.

"You know you'd probably be home already if you'd just asked Tony to use one of the Quinjets," Steve whispered in your ear.

You turned around quickly, surprised to see the Supersoldier in the airport.  "What are you doing here, Steve?"

"You were so upset when you left, I was worried about you."

"Well, I wouldn't have been upset if Tony hadn't lied to me," you informed the tall blonde, currently trying to hide his recognizable face under a ball cap.

"(Y/N)," Steve implored.  "You know he was only trying to protect you."

"I'm an Avenger, Steve.  I don't need him to protect me!  I can take care of myself, I've been doing it for years since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell."

"And he feels responsible for you having to fend for yourself after that happened."

"For someone whose public persona hinges on appearing flippant and uncaring, he sure does shoulder a lot of responsibility for things he had no control over.  I deserved to go on that mission, and you know it Steve.  Flint was my handler growing up and I should have been the one to bring him down."

Steve's shoulders dropped as he realized that he was just making things worse.  "Look, (Y/N), Tony wasn't sure how you would react when you saw Flint again and he didn't want to take a chance of losing him.  He's the best chance we have of finding out who is still active in Hydra."

You just shook your head, amazed at how little faith your team had in you.  "He could have explained that to me then instead of sending me off on a solo mission that was a complete joke!"

Your voice had started to rise and people were glancing your way.  You'd hoped that they assumed the two of you were fighting about the canceled flight and the weather.

Steve was just about say something, but he was interrupted by the lady behind the check-in counter.  "Miss?  You're next."

You turned away from Steve and greeted the frazzled airline employee.  She explained that due to the storm all planes had been grounded and they were currently offering passengers lodging at hotels by the airport.  She entered your information into her computer and was printing out your reservation confirmation sheet when you heard another collective groan throughout the airport.  She gave you a small grin as she explained that you had apparently gotten the last available room.

You took the paperwork from her and wished her a Merry Christmas as you turned back toward Steve.  "It looks like I'll be spending Christmas in an airport hotel.  You should head back to the tower so Bucky won't be alone."

"I'm not leaving you here alone, and besides, I don't think a taxi is going to able to make it back to the tower.  Would you mind sharing that hotel room?  If not, it looks like I'll be stranded here."

You closed your eyes and let out an exasperated breath as you heard _Let it Snow_ begin playing over the airport speakers.  The irony was not lost on you or the other couple thousand people stuck here.  You looked back toward Steve and he had that lost puppy dog look on his face, the one that got you every time.  "As much as I would love to leave you here, it's Christmas, and I'm not completely cold-hearted."

You and Steve decided to stock up on bottled water and snack food at the airport gift shop, just in case the hotel ran out of food for room service.  By the time you'd purchased everything and made your way to the exit, the snow had created a whiteout.  There was already close to a foot on the ground and the storm was far from over.  There was one shuttle waiting outside and the driver told you that this would be his last run before they started closing the roads.

Once the shuttle had dropped you off at the hotel, you and Steve were already exhausted.  The short ride had been a bit harrowing as the shuttle skidded off the road and almost got stuck in a snow bank.  The two of you trudged through the steadily increasing snow to the entrance of the hotel.  The receptionist looked as worn out as you did, but she was kind and polite as she handed you a room key.  

She told you and Steve that the kitchen would be closing in hour if the two of you wanted a hot meal.  The two of you dropped off your carry-on and the snacks you'd bought and headed back down to the lounge.  By unspoken agreement, you hadn't discussed Tony or the mission while you ate.  You also hadn't discussed the fact that the room you would be sharing only had one bed.

You lingered over dinner for as long as you could, sipping on hot cups of Chamomile tea, before you inevitably had to go back to the room.  You walked in and stared at the bed for a minute before you looked at one another.  The look on Steve's face was priceless and you couldn't help but start laughing.  Once you had started, all of the pent up emotions came pouring out and you ended up sitting on the bed, clutching your sides as you continued to laugh.  Steve eventually gave up trying to be stoic and soon he was laughing as well.

"Well, this isn't exactly how I imagined my Christmas," you told him once you'd finally regained control of yourself.

"Me either, but what else are we going to do?"

"Right now, I'm exhausted and I just want to go to bed."

"You go clean up first," he told you as he nodded toward the bathroom.  "I can wait."

All of your pajamas were in the suitcase currently sitting in the fuselage of an airplane, so you were just going to have to sleep in your clothes.  You washed your face and made your way to the bed.  You were asleep before your head hit the pillow, so you didn't remember Steve joining you a few minutes later.

 

You awoke a few hours later, completely disoriented.  The bed you were in was unfamiliar, as was the warm body you were currently wrapped around.  You lay still for a moment as the memories of the previous day slowly came back to you.

You remembered coming back from your mission, only to discover that the rest of the team had been out on a mission of their own.  As a child, S.H.I.E.L.D. had approached your parents in the hopes of recruiting you.  You had a genius level IQ and your tech skills were unparalleled for someone your age.  Your parents had reluctantly agreed and your whole family had been relocated to Washington DC.  Little did you know that you weren't actually working for S.H.I.E.L.D.   Your handler, Jason Flint, was a Hydra sleeper agent deeply embedded in the government agency.  You'd never actually been recruited as Hydra, they'd just used you to help their cause.  Once they were revealed, you used your computer skills to help your family disappear, but Tony Stark had eventually come looking for you.  He convinced you to join the Avengers and you had just started feeling like part of team again when this whole fiasco began.

Tony had found Flint and instead of allowing you to help with the take-down mission, he'd lied to you and sent you on what basically amounted to a wild goose chase.  By the time you'd figured out what they'd done, Flint was in custody and you were too enraged to think straight.  You and Tony had screamed at one another, neither one able to admit that you both were being unreasonable.  By the time you'd packed a bag and stormed out, the snow had already started and it was too late turn back.

Your mind made it back to the present and you were left wondering how you were going to untangle yourself from the Supersoldier without waking him up.  You had a feeling he wouldn't be too keen on waking up with you like this.  His moral compass was set a little too far on the straight and narrow to allow for such familiarity between teammates.  You would have been perfectly content to stay right where you were.  You'd slowly been developing feelings for the Captain, but you weren't sure he returned them.  You tried to edge away from him, but the harder you tried, the tighter his arms around you became.  You had finally just given up and resigned yourself to being stuck in his embrace when you felt a deep vibration coming from beneath you.  It took you a second to realize that Steve was trying to contain his laughter at your struggles.

You raised your head to look at him, but the room was so dark, you could barely make out his expression.  His arms loosened a bit and you rolled over onto your back.  You were just about to turn away from him when he was suddenly above you.  His hand found your hip as his thumb slipped under the hem of your shirt and began sliding across your bare skin.  Your breath hitched in surprise.

"Tell me to stop," he whispered huskily.

It only took you a second to make up your mind.  You'd dreamt of this for so long, you weren't about to let this opportunity slip through your fingers.  Your hands went to his face as you pulled him closer to you.  You might regret this in the harsh light of day, but for now, the night would only know.

 

The two of you spent the next few days curled up in the king sized bed, pretending the outside world didn't exist.  The snow had finally stopped and you could see the road crews desperately trying to clear the massive amounts of heavy, wet flakes that had brought the entire city to a standstill.  As long as the planes were grounded, you could imagine that you and Steve were on some romantic getaway.  Neither of you were ready to "define the relationship" just yet, so you did anything and everything to avoid actual conversation.

Most of the time it was pretty easy to find something to occupy yourselves with, but you eventually needed to rest, so it was then that you turned on the TV.  Thankfully the power and the cable hadn't gone out, so there were tons of Christmas movies to watch.  Steve had actually looked worried when you started squealing just as the opening credits of _Love Actually_ came on.  He'd never seen it, so it was even more fun to watch it through his eyes.  When it came to the part where Keira Knightley's character, Juliet, realized that her husband's best friend was in love with her, Steve actually swore out loud.  He laughed at you when you started crying as Mark declared his love for her with the poster boards.

All too soon, the real world demanded to be acknowledged.  You and Steve had just finished taking a shower as your phone began to ring.  You rushed to answer it and were so excited when the airline told you that they had you booked on a 1:30pm flight on Christmas Eve.  You were just going to be able to make it home in time for Christmas.

By the time you'd turned back around, Steve was already dressed and the spell you'd been under for the past few days had been broken.  The awkward tension the room was almost palpable as you began to pack your belongings back into your carry-on bag.  Steve rode the elevator down to the lobby with you while you checked out and waited with you until the shuttle arrived to take you back to the airport.  He'd called a cab, so you left him standing in the hotel lobby as you rode back to the airport.  He gave you one final wave before you disappeared from his sight.

 

Your family had been thrilled when you'd made it home in time for dinner that night.  You were elated to be around the ones you loved, but a part of you was still wishing you were back in that hotel room with Steve.  You had no idea what the past few days would do to your working relationship with the Captain, you just hoped things wouldn't get weird.

You tried to put the thoughts of him aside to enjoy this rare time with all of your family.  All of your nieces and nephews were so excited to hear stories about the Avengers and your mother had to keep leaving the room when you told them about Hydra agents shooting at you.  Eventually the kids had grown tired and they'd all gone to bed, anxious for tomorrow to come so they could open presents.

Christmas morning was always so much fun when there were little ones around.  The magic of Christmas was alive and well in this house as wrapping paper flew around the room, little fingers desperate to see what they'd gotten.  You'd left your siblings to deal with assembly and battery distribution as you helped your mother cook breakfast.  She could tell something was weighing on your heart, but she knew you'd fill her in when you were ready.  For now, she was content to fall back into the same rhythm you'd had before you left home.  The years of cooking together had taught the two of you to anticipate the moves of the other, so it was always a seamless dance of mixing, pouring, and baking that ended in a veritable feast.

The rest of the day was spent lounging on the couches watching the kids play with their new toys.  After a dinner of leftovers, the kids were put to bed and the adults sat down with some wine and the dominoes.  This was a serious game in your family, so when your phone signaled an incoming message, they all threw a fit.

_"Answer the door."_

You stared at your phone in confusion.  The text was from Steve, but it didn't make any sense until you heard the knock.  You quickly announced that you'd answer the door as you hurried from the dining room table to front entryway.

You opened the door to find Steve, fully outfitted in his uniform, standing in front of you with his finger over his lips.  He tapped the screen of his cell phone a few times before a Christmas carol began playing.  He flipped his shield around to reveal a small poster taped to the inside.

_Say its carol singers_

A smile lit your entire face as you realized what he was doing.  You heeded his request and called out to your family that there were carolers at the front door.  You turned back to Steve to see that he'd pulled off the first poster to reveal the ones beneath. 

_With any luck, by next year_

_I'll be spending Christmas here with you_

_But for now let me say_

_With hope and agenda_

_Just because it's Christmas_

_(And at Christmas you tell the truth)_

_To me you are perfect_

_And my slowly unthawing heart will love you_

_For the rest of my life_

_Merry Christmas_

With every poster that was revealed, your heart swelled and tears began to form in your eyes.  You started to say something, but Steve stopped you with a finger pressed against your lips.  He pulled the last poster off to reveal the final one.

_On a mission, comms running, this is just between me and you_

Understanding, you settled for a short kiss to let him know that you felt the same way as he did.  He gave you an elated grin as he turned and headed back into the night.  You watched him until you couldn't see him anymore.  Shutting the door, you headed back into the dining room to finish your game, all the while silently wishing him luck on the mission and wondering how long it would be until you could see him again.


End file.
